The One with Austin


Sunday, February 27, 2011

It's been a whirlwind three days! So much fun and so exhausting at the same time. I have a new appreciation for my husband and all that he does for me and Fox. I've got one more day in Texas, but Chris and my Malm are buggin' me for updates so here goes.

Friday morning we woke up bright and early and finished packing. Chris dropped me and Fox off at LAX and we breezed right through security so we had about an hour to kill.
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We walked around the terminal, bought some water, walked around some more, changed his diaper, then we boarded.
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LA from LAX.
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Our plane.
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We sat in row 22 - my favorite number. I debated whether to sit by the window because I HAAAAATE flying (it scares the bejeezes out of me) but sitting by the window lessens my nerves a bit cuz I can see the ground; but on the other hand if Fox has a blowout or starts crying I need an easy out. In the end I chose to sit in an aisle seat. Fox's needs came before mine. Such is motherhood :)
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I sat by some interesting people! The woman in the aisle seat opposite me was reading what looked like a movie script of that new Johnny Depp movie Rango so I was instantly curious about what she does. Ever since we moved to LA I've been fascinated with the goings on of movies and film-making cuz we're in the epicenter of it all. She was super nice and we struck up a conversation (side note: ever since I've had a baby strangers talk to me a lot more. I guess I'm interesting now :) and I flat out asked her what she does. She said she's a movie location scout. I asked her if she could tell me what she's doing now. She said she's going to Texas to look for locations for a new Johnny Depp movie called The Lone Ranger (I THINK that's what she said it's called...). It's going to be an Old Western so what better place to look for locations than Texas. I asked if she's going to be in the credits and she said yes. I asked her name. Julie. I told her I'll look for her name when I see the movie. I asked her if she's ever met Johnny Depp and she said yes, twice. I said I saw him once at the premier of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory in London. She said he loves his fans. I said that's sweet. I asked if people get compensation if their house or property is used for filming (I'm curious because films and movies are always filmed around our 'hood and I wonder what happens). She said they usually pay them a month's mortgage. Not a bad gig, especially in California. As we de-boarded the plane, she said maybe she'd see me around South Pasadena. I said, well, our apartment isn't anything to write home about, and she said, who knows, movies call for all types of settings. So maybe some day our apartment will be in a movie.

ANYWAYS!!!!

I fed and changed Fox before we got on the plane and he fell asleep during take off. He woke up as we started cruising and he wasn't too happy. So I stood up and took him to the back of the plane and rocked him back to sleep. (I patted myself on the back for sitting in the aisle, easy escape!) He slept for another hour and then woke up and was great until we landed. All-in-all, I'd give Fox a 9 out of 10 for his first flight! I hope all flights will go just as smoothly. We've got LOTS of flights in the near future. Gotta get back to CA tomorrow, we're going to UT in a couple weeks, we're going to WA in April, Hawaii in July (I hope!) and back to WA in July for the marriage of Eric and Tanya. So much flying. I hate flying. Have I said that already?

We landed in Austin and Reyanna picked us right up. We stopped and said hi to her hubby, got some food for her doggies, then we arrived at her house.

OMGEEEEEE Reyanna is THE most organized person I know. Even her pantry is filled with containers that are all labeled. She also has a knack for decorating. I want her house. Her scrap room is heaven on earth. We were in there for seriously an hour peeking in every box, in every drawer, in every cabinet. I can't share pictures though, dangit. It's top secret 'til May. But she said I can share this one of her baker's twine:
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Can't you just tell how cute her room is by the way it's arranged?

And I totally need one of these FRIENDS frames for my house.
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Reyanna is my match for FRIENDS lovin'. I wonder who would win in a FRIENDS trivia match? Chris and I are pretty with it. Reyanna and Jeremy are too.... Hopefully some day we can duel it out :)

Here is her laundry room:
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Cutest. Laundry. Room. Ever.
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Who knew laundry rooms could be cute?
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She has a frame wall in the shape of a heart. Adorable.
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Her two doggies are the cutest. Ruby and Amber. Pint-sized balls of fur.
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Chillaxin'.
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Hi Daddy! I miss you!!!
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Mr. Fox right when he woke up Saturday morning. I love when he wakes up happy.
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On Saturday afternoon we went to a baby shower. Which is funny cuz I was going to go to a baby shower in South Pas on Saturday, but I couldn't make it cuz I was in Texas, but even in Texas I went to a baby shower! Babies babies babies everywhere!! There was a table set up with onesies for guests to decorate. This is Reyanna's.
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Art-ing.
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I made this one.
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Diaper cake.
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Treats galore.
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Such a cool blue-jean diaper wreath complete with usable toys for baby.
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I met lots of nice women and Fox had fun flirting.

So the point of my trip to Texas: to see the baptism of Reyanna and Jeremy.

Here they are right before:
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And here they are as the newest members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the missionaries who dunked 'em :)
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I'm so happy for Reyanna and Jeremy. They fit right in with their bubbly personalities and loving hearts.

After their baptism we went to one of my very favorite restaurants: Texas Roadhouse. And unlike Colorado and Utah where it's still a big deal so wait times are over two hours, Texas Roadhouse in TEXAS isn't a big deal so our party of 7 got right in.
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Mr. Fox was Mr. Grumpy though so he and I sat outside most of the time. But those rolls with honey cinnamon butter are amazing. Get me every time.

Today was Sunday so we went to church, went to a "get to know Brother and Sister Klein" at the Relief Society President's house, had a couple over for dinner, and now I'm catching up on my bloggin'. Sorry if this is scattered, I'm a li'l tired :) Good times. Hopefully I'll be back in a year!

The One with Where Are We?


Saturday, February 26, 2011

Fox went on his very first airplane ride yesterday - can you guess where to based on the following pics?
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And if those don't give it away, maybe these pics will:
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If you still don't know where we are, you need to brush up on your states :) Unless you live internationally, then I forgive you.

More detailed post of Fox's first plane ride, the fun people I met while traveling, and why we are where we are coming mañana!

The One with the 900th Post Giveaway!


Thursday, February 24, 2011

Holy crow how has it already been 100 posts? I feel like I just did my 800th post giveaway yesterday! Time is seriously flying by these days. But anyways, enough of the jibber jabber, you wanna see what's up for grabs don't ya?

I'm purging my scrapbook supplies so we'll start with all of that fun stuff. One lucky winner will receive 345 pieces of patterned paper. I repeat THREE HUNDRED AND FORTY FIVE pieces of double sided, super high quality patterned paper, all by my favorite scrapbooking company - American Crafts. These are all from retired lines so it's out with the old and in with the new!
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Next, five different pairs of decorative scissors. Somehow I have doubles of all of these, which I don't need, but maybe you do! It's funny how trends come and go in the scrapbooking world. Like three years ago these were the sum of all evil and now they're making their way back onto layouts to trim the edges of cardstock and patterned paper and such. Trimming photos with these is still a big no-no though - for now!
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Next, 15 cute little cans of embellishments called House by American Crafts. Some are felt, some are plastic, some are paper, some are flowers, some are snowflakes. ALL are cute.
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Three cards that I made for various assignments/projects:
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24 little bottles of Martha Stewart Crafts GLITTER! I've really tried to like glitter. I honestly have. But I can't. Hopefully you do :)
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Five different sheets of Dear Lizzy Enchanted laser-cut patterned paper from, you guessed it, American Crafts. These are sweet cuz they're so versatile. You can spray over them and create a really cool mask. You can cut parts of them out, you can use them as they are. Think outside the box!
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For the stamp enthusiast - four sets of stamps, a black ink pad, black and white embossing power, and an embossing heat gun. Not even gonna say who they're by cuz you already know :)
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Seven different packs of layered embellishments - aka Details and Delights by American Crafts. These are awesome cuz they look like they took forever to make but they come pre-made, but who can tell when they're on your projects!?
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A Give Thanks plaque I made for the Oct/Nov 2010 issue of Simply Handmade.
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A set of embellished cork coasters - also something I made for the Oct/Nov 2010 issue of Simply Handmade.
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Blogging is a great form of journaling for the whole wide world to read, but for those who are all about physical journals and hand writing and privacy, this book is just for you!
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A copy of the premier issue of Cricut Magazine. This'll be worth millions some day :)
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Okay, onto the fashion items.

Season One of Project Runway! It's been watched through twice, but everything is in mint condish. Start from the beginning of this addicting reality show!
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Mini purse bag by Free People.
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Super beautiful (fake - but who needs to know?) necklace!
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Is it a scarf? Or a belt? Either way it's sure to be a hit in your wardrobe!
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And last but certainly not least, a PaigeBook. I took pictures of the book right after I finished it yesterday when the sun was still up, but then after the sun set I decided I wasn't finished and tried something I've never done before and now I'm obsessed with. So here are the before pics:
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It's 5.5 x 7".
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It's got wooden covers.
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It's a copic binding so it lays flat and you can see how it's sewn together.
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I used patterned papers by Sassafras.
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All the papers have really cool decorative edges which makes turning the pages fiercely fun.
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It's totally hip and vintage and colorful and lovely - if I do say so myself :)
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I used green DMC embroidery floss to bind it together.
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It's the first time I didn't refer to instructions to make it. I finally know how to make these by memory!
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And here is what the book looks like now (see the bottom right corner):
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I poked holes in the shape of a deer to add to the vintage feel of this album. I found the deer Sassafras uses on their patterned papers, printed it, then used it as a template to poke the holes. I really wanted to keep going and poke clouds and stars and a sun, but moderation in all things. I also was thinking about coloring the deer in with paint?? So many possibilities!!!! I can't wait to try out this technique again on a book for myself and throw moderation out the window.
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UPDATED: I couldn't stop thinking about painting the deer white so I just did. Now check it out:
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Not gonna lie, this is going to be a hard book to give away! I think it's my favorite I've ever made. Maybe I can work out a deal with the winner :)

TO ENTER TO WIN: LEAVE A COMMENT ON THIS POST LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU KNOW ME/HOW YOU'RE RELATED TO ME/HOW YOU FOUND THIS BLOG. LEAVE YOUR ONE COMMENT BY 8AM ON THURSDAY MARCH 4TH 2011 AND I'LL ANNOUNCE THE RANDOMLY SELECTED WINNER THEN!
GOOOOOOOD LUCK!
Paige Taylor Evans © // Quinn Creatives DESIGN